The Legend of Zelda: Time's Wanderers
by Knight-Dawn
Summary: It seems the hero's fate is not yet done with Link, who has endured not only TP, but OoT and MM as well. Old allies come to Ordon, and Link sets out on a new adventure that spans time and the secrets of the past and future alike. Please R&R! Thank you!
1. Prolouge: Once There Was a Boy

Prologue: Once There Was a Boy

In the land of Hyrule, there echoes a legend. A legend held dearly by the royal family that tells of a boy...

A boy who, after battling evil and saving Hyrule, crept away from the land that had made him a legend...

Done with the battles he once waged across time, he embarked on a journey. A secret and personal journey...

A journey in search of a beloved and invaluable friend...

A friend with whom he parted ways when he finally fulfilled his heroic destiny and took his place among legends...

-Opening to Majora's Mask

Once, there was a boy. He was born and raised in a secret, forbidden forest by the fairy spirits that dwelt there. For many long years, he truly believed he was one of them... Until one day, when the guardian spirit of the forest, known to the fairy children—the Kokiri—as the Great Deku Tree, was cursed. He summoned the boy to him then, knowing the truth of the boy's heritage and having foreseen his great destiny. The boy didn't understand why he had been chosen... He had always been the underling, the one fairy-less Kokiri, the boy who was scared of everything and turned to his only friend—and a girl at that—to protect him.

But chosen he was. Presented with a fairy called Navi, the boy reluctantly set out to remove the curse from the Great Deku Tree, never knowing he was taking the first steps of a journey. Never realizing that nothing would ever be the same again.

Though the boy destroyed the curse-bearing monsters in the Deku Tree, the curse had done its job. The Great Deku Tree died... But not before giving the boy the spiritual stone of the forest, and telling him of the dark man who had laid the death curse on him. This frightened the boy, to hear of an evil man from the desert who so closely matched the dark man in the nightmare he'd been having for months.

Before he died, the Great Deku Tree also gave the boy a final piece of advice. "Go now to Hyrule Castle... There, thou will surely meet the Princess of Destiny... The future depends upon thee... Thou art courageous."

At the time, the boy did not understand. He did not see himself as courageous, he did not want the future to depend upon him. But he had to follow the orders. It was, after all, the Great Deku Tree's dying wish. And at the time, the boy still believed that he was one of the Great Deku Tree's children.

So the boy set out for Hyrule Castle, where he did indeed meet the Princess Zelda. And in turn, she sent him out to collect the other two spiritual stones and stop Ganondorf, the evil man from the desert. Then, with all three in hand, he returned to her. She gave him the Ocarina of Time and told him to go to Temple of Time... There the boy opened the Doors of Time itself and drew the Master Sword of which the legends speak, the blade of evil's bane. It was the only chance they had to stop Ganondorf.

Thus did the boy become a man, a hero even. The Hero of Time that legends had promised, chosen by the Master Sword. Seven years in the future, Hyrule had been shrouded by dark power while the boy had slept in the Sacred Realm. And though a great many things were different in this dark and shadowed future, some things had remained the same... The fairy children were immortally young, and none of them recognized the man as the runaway child who had vanished... They saw him as a hero. Yet he still saw himself as a coward.

And the girl, the girl who had been his friend for as long as he could remember... She, too, was the same—a child still, as she forever would be. But the boy—the half-boy, half-hero—realized that he loved the girl, had always loved her. But it was not their fate to be together... While she was to become the Sage of Forest, the boy's destiny was to be a Hero.

The boy met Sheik not long after coming to the future, Sheik the enigma, whose words often seemed to bear hidden meanings. Sheik who seemed to know the boy well, though the boy had never met him. Only later did he discover the truth... He had met Sheik before. Sheik was not really Sheik at all, but rather, the Princess Zelda in disguise. Together, the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny sealed Ganondorf, the King of Thieves, within the Sacred Realm. His destiny fulfilled, the boy was sent back to the past, to the way things should have been. But for the boy, there was no going back.

Shortly after his return, he ventured away again, with no friend save the horse Epona. Indeed, when the boy had returned to the past even Navi had left him. A hero did not need a guardian fairy. A hero did not need friends.

The boy stumbled upon Termina by accident, when Epona was stolen from him by Skull Kid, one of his old friends who had become possessed by the power of Majora's Mask. For three days, three days and an eternity, the boy stayed in Termina, trying to stop the moon from falling, trying to save his friend Skull Kid from the Mask's dark power. Turning time backwards whenever time ran out.

The boy did everything he could to bring happiness to the people of Termina. He saved none for himself. Seeing people who loved each other—like Anju and Kafei—find ways to be together against all odds only made him feel worse. Made him wonder if he, too, could have found a way if only he had stayed.

When the boy at last saved Termina and Skull Kid, he again set out once again; alone into the forest. The way back to Hyrule was long, and when he finally returned to the land of his birth a hundred years had passed there. Perhaps he really had been gone that long, perhaps he had remained in Termina for a century if he counted every day he'd lived outside of time.

In this time, the boy saw for himself a second chance. In this time, no one saw him as a hero. It was easy enough to take up the life of a ranch hand, living in peace in the village of Ordon and taking lessons from Rusl, the swordmaster, in his spare time. But sometimes, when he looked at the children of Ordon, he still saw faces he'd once known—the ghosts of the Kokiri. And sometimes, in the right light, Ilia—the mayor's daughter—reminded him of someone, too. The girl he had known, whose name he couldn't even bear to think.

And while he was done with the hero's path, the hero's path was not done with him. The Twilight covered Hyrule, and Zant—King of the Twili—stole Ilia away. Ilia and all the children. But when he entered the Twilight to save them, its power changed him into a wolf. With help from Midna, the Twilight Princess, the Hero again saved Hyrule and Princess Zelda, a decedent of the Zelda he'd known. His journey brought him to places he'd known, places he'd been before...

The heart of an ancient forest—now in ruins, but still bearing echoes of the never-ending song that had served as his lullaby, his heartbeat, his guide. It hurt to walk there, to know the girl who'd once played that song was long gone and he was long forgotten.

And when the time came to part ways with Midna, Midna who had reminded him of both Navi and the girl, the memories of past farewells almost broke him. Did break him, somewhere deep inside—broke him even as the Mirror of Twilight had broken. Too often, he knew, farewells lasted forever.

Twilight for him had already beheld sorrow, sorrow and regret. For at the hour of twilight the borders between worlds were thinner, and not only the worlds of light and twilight but all worlds... Including the Sacred Realm where the Sages dwelt. And now the Hero, the Hero who was no longer truly a boy, beast, nor man... He could no longer find comfort in the quiet village. His past had caught up with him, and it refused to leave again. Feelings he had stilled within himself had only grown stronger in their exile.

How do I know this story? I can tell you want to ask. How do I know so much about this boy, and all his darkest secrets? The answer is quite simple, really...

Once, I was the boy.


	2. Chapter One:Silence in an Ancient Forest

Chapter One: Silence in an Ancient Forest

It was quiet in the ancient woods. I had come to know this quiet all too well. It was lonely, but loneliness was no stranger to me, either. I had come to the forest that bright morning knowing I would fail to find what I sought, but I had to go anyway. I couldn't take the sorrow any longer.

I sat slumped in Epona's saddle, almost as I had when leaving Hyrule... And when I came to Ordon after returning from Termina. Epona knew how I felt. Gods, I thought she must feel something like it herself, remembering Malon. Because surely she could not have forgotten the girl she'd belonged to first. Truly, I think the moment I ventured to Malon as a child, after saving Hyrule, Epona somehow remembered _everything_ we'd done together. And Malon trusted me enough to give me Epona then.

I missed Malon sometimes, too, but I had never liked being called "fairy boy." Especially once I learned I really wasn't a Kokiri at all.

I missed all my old friends, friends I knew were long dead.

As we passed through the woodlands, I didn't know how to feel. So much could change in a century... Places that had been ruins then were lost now, claimed by the growth of the forest. And places that had already been legends, secrets in hidden in the heart of the forest, were long gone; so well forgotten that the people of Hyrule no longer even whisper the stories of them to their children any longer.

"_Beware the haunted forest; those who enter often do not return again..."_

At last, we came to the place where I had found the path to the Sacred Grove. It had been part of the Lost Woods, but had long since changed. Part of me wondered if there had once been a wooden bridge near here... But if so, it had rotted away to nothing. The forest was much larger now, much larger and less familiar, but it was still the forest. _Our_ forest.

"I'll be back, Epona. Wait here." I promised, sliding out of her saddle.

I walked into the depths of the forest alone. As soon as I was beneath the older trees, I felt lighter. Yes, I had known this place. Changed as it was, I still knew it. Still knew the song. I wandered up to a circle of trees, remembering. I had come here, I had returned to this place as a wolf, a blue-eyed beast. And I had howled the melody of the royal family, a song I'd learned long ago from Impa... Zelda's Lullaby.

And Skull Kid had appeared to me. He hadn't known me—of course he hadn't. I still felt that he remembered a green clad boy who had taught him a song and saved him from a mask, even if he thought that boy was long dead. He had guided me through this forest with that song... The song... _Her_ song.

If only he would appear again.

"Skull Kid!" I called. "Skull Kid, where are you? Would you come back? Would you guide me? I no longer know the way..."

My words echoed among the trees, mingling with the eternal song... But no answer came.

"I knew it, once—the way. I knew you, once. Do you remember? Can you hear me?"

Still nothing. Only what served as silence in the ancient forest; for the forest was never _truly_ silent. No living thing could be.

"Skull Kid..." I said, "Skull Kid, it's me. Link. I've come back... I didn't die."

The words hung in the air, my voice on the verge of breaking.

"I just grew up..."

Still, there was no answer. Only the song, the sorrowful song. Was I the only one who heard the sorrow in that joyous melody? I had to try one last time.

"Skull Kid, are the Kokiri still here? Has... Has the Sage of the Forest ever returned? Does she still play her song here, the song I taught you? Please, answer me! You're all that's left... You're the only one I knew who yet remains in this world..."

But it was hopeless, had always been hopeless. My last chance was gone—gone as all things were. And only then, only when I realized that, did my heart truly break. There was no way back. There never would be. I was alone.

I would always be alone.

I returned to Epona, trying to collect myself. I had to appear collected, as I always had since coming to Ordon. No one needed to know how broken, shattered I was inside. No one needed to share my hurt.

"Come on, girl." I said. "Let's go home."

Ordon was the only home we had left.


	3. Chapter Two: Wolf's Eyes

Chapter Two: Wolf's Eyes

_Dead._

_It was the last word they'd said to me, and it echoed, the pain of it growing with each heartbeat._

_Dead. They were dead._

_Why wasn't I dead, too?_

_What was life worth without them, without a kingdom to serve, loved ones to protect?_

_I cried out, a long and anguished cry. I'd stopped caring months before whether I wept before my captors or not as they tortured me. There was no such thing as pride anymore, or hope of escape._

_But there had been hope for them._

_Gone, now._

_They were gone._

"_Shut up," The soldier said, slapping me across my face. He laughed. "Oh. I'm sorry. Do you miss her? Well, you'll not see her for some time... We're not going to kill you just yet."_

_He spat at the ground before me, and it was just too much._

_Not all my pride was gone yet._

_I lunged for him, straining against my chains, but it was useless. The prison door slammed shut in my face._

_For a moment, I just stared at it, stunned._

_Then I collapsed against the wall, weeping._

_Dead. Dead. Dead._

_(You poor man...)_

_I snapped to attention. Was I going mad, now? The voice had been in my head, certainly._

"_Who...?" I asked, my voice hoarse._

_(I could help you. If you want. I could free you from this place... But your sorrows shall remain.)_

"_Where are you, good man?" I asked, barely a whisper._

_Laughter. But not cruel, merely amused._

_(No. Not a man... I'm outside the fortress you're in, and I'm dying. I've lived a long life, my age at last has caught up with me. Alas... Not before those same men who torment you killed my family... It's our shared anguish that allows us to speak so, my friend. I'm done for, but you still have a chance. Let your mind become my mind, and you will have your vengeance...)_

"_Your family..." I muttered, then a sob came to my lips. "My family..."_

_Vengeance. It sounded so sweet then._

_Thus did I bid farewell to what was, what had been, and accepted my sad fate._

_I became one with this other who offered me a second chance, a chance at revenge._

…

I was a wolf now, no longer a man. That was the identity of the one who had spoken to me, and now it was mine. A wolf with red eyes and golden fur. A wolf that, while having tasted death, could not die.

Those who had betrayed me were dead, now, dead by my teeth, my claws. It hadn't satisfied me as I'd thought it would, but revenge is strange like that.

They feared me, calling me a wolf that thought and fought like a man. But they never put two and two together.

I wished that I could return to my true form. My true, living form. For while I could not die, neither could I truly call myself alive.

Sometimes, I wished I could die. Death would allow me to return to my family, my love... But that was forbidden to me now. We would be parted forever.

For years, I wandered the lands that had once been my home, hoping that one day I'd be able to forget. Maybe. Then came a day I could bear it no longer, and I ventured to distant places. My sleepless soul could find no rest...

It was inevitable, perhaps, that my travels would one day bring me home again.

I remained for some time, then, in Hyrule, to listen to the legends passed down though the ages, legends about a boy cloaked in green who had saved time itself. Legends about a Hylian warrior.

I had been a Hylian, once. I remembered. I remembered, too, what my captors had said to me on that dark day, long ago.

"_...She was chased all the way to the Forest of Legend. She was wounded before she made it in, and __you know the stories they tell of that wood, don't you? Even those in perfect health come back mad, or not at all... She is dead."_

_Dead._

The green clad boy, they said, came from the Forest of Legend. And he would've been the proper age, too...

But he was gone now, lost in the strange workings of time.

And so I waited, watching always with wolf's eyes, until there came a day when dark powers began to stir again. Hyrule became sieged by the Twilight, and all hoped that a hero would again rise to stop it.

This time, I was ready. When the unlikely hero from the village of Ordon found me, I began to teach him what I knew. He did not seem to fear me.

He was desperate.

At first, I didn't care who he was. His identity was no concern of mine, I knew he was naught but a ranch hand from a small village. But even then I sensed that he was worthy of the skills I would have passed on to... to those of my bloodline. Our bloodline... If only they had lived... But the boy was Hylian, even a fool could see that. It was the best I could hope for.

Or was it?

I began to notice things about him that were not quite right. He knew much about the forest, about the past. He seemed almost... Obsessed with the past. As though he were not only desperate to save Hyrule, but also to escape some curse upon him. Almost like me.

Then I began to look at him more closely than I had in the beginning. Now I saw things I had never thought to hope for... His eyes were the same color that hers had been, his hair only a shade darker. When he smiled, which I could tell was a rare occurence, it was her smile, too.

So, the last time I was to teach him, I summed up my courage, and asked him his name. I hadn't cared at first, hadn't dared to later. But I knew this was my last chance to know for certain.

"Link." Was his answer.

And I remembered.

"_If it's a boy, we should name him Link. Don't you think that's a good name, my love?"_

"Link..." I repeated, then passed on the last of my knowledge, long forgotten to the world.

Before he left, I told him the truth in the only way left to me. "Go and do not falter, my child."

But I fear the true meaning of my words was lost to him. Or else his mind was elsewhere when I said them, so he did not understand.

In any case, there was nothing more I could do. I felt sorry for Link, for I knew he must have passed through time to come here, and must have left behind something dear to him. And because I knew that feeling, too. I could find a kind of peace, though, knowing that I was not alone.

That my son had survived, despite everything that had happened to both of us.

The strange thing about peace is that it never lasts long.

…

"You, golden wolf."

My ears perked up as I woke from what had been a deep slumber. Before me stood a man I'd never seen. I glared at him and his strange garb. There was something strange about his scent, he smelled of something familiar... Then it hit me. Death. I subconsciously let out a low growl.

"Ah, you've caught my scent. Yes, it would seem strange to you... Everything about my people seems strange to outsiders. That's no news to me."

I stopped growling.

"I know who you really are. A Knight of old, trapped forever between life and death, beast or man. I know also that there may be a way to end your curse..."

Again, I perked up. This strange man did know much... But how? To what purpose?

"I need your help."

Ah. I tilted my head, trying to show that I was interested.

"It was far easier to find one like you than the one I seek... No matter how strange his presence here may be, he fits well enough. I believe you know him, though I only know _of_ him."

I could guess who he meant, but waited to see if he would reveal more. I snorted softly, trying to give the man a hint.

He sighed. "I seek Link, the Hero of Time, now also known as the Hero of Twilight. There is... trouble that only he can cease. I doubt that your troubles are unrelated. Help me, and you only help yourself."

And thus did my part begin anew. I stood, grunting softly, to lead the stranger to Ordon.


	4. Chapter Three: Her Hero

Chapter 3: Her Hero

_In a room ambient with an ancient air, where light and shadow played in shades of green, there was a bed, cloaked with green curtains. I moved toward it in a weightless stupor, feelings of hope and dread fighting each other in my heart. Someone lay in the bed, so still, so fragile... The air was barely stirred by her breath. I could not clearly see her face, or anything about her. Still, I thought I knew her... The memories were there, if only I could summon them... Who was she? Where was I? Why did everything here feel so... so wrong?_

_A light drifted over to her, a fluttering of fairy's wings stirred her hair. A shadowed figure moved over to her, touched lightly her right hand... I saw her hand was bandaged, then, and there was a red stain, bright against the green. So bright. So wrong._

"_Stay with us a while longer. Hold on. I will find help." The man's voice, too, was eerily familiar._

_Abruptly, the scene shifted. No longer was I in a room that smelled of death and waiting, but a meadow in a forest, though it was strange to me in this time. In the field stood a delicate figure, cloaked in green, familiar yet strange... She stared at the place as though she, too, hardly knew it. Hardly knew herself._

_A figure approached her, and she gasped as she turned. He smiled, but beneath the smile was a shadow of darkness._

"_It... It can't be..." She chimed. "You..."_

"_But it is." He said, moving closer. "I'm sorry I've been away so long... You're beautiful, love..." He brushed his hand along the hair that framed her face. "You haven't forgotten me, have you?"_

"_How could I...?" She asked, smiling._

_The man reached behind him with his right hand, the one that wasn't by her face, and clasped a dagger on his belt. My heart froze still._

_He pulled out the dagger in a silver flash, and her eyes widened as she saw through the illusion. She brought up a hand and caught the dagger's blade before it pierced her heart. Other figures approached now, too late, and the shadowed figure of the man vanished as the girl screamed in pain, clutching her wounded hand..._

_..._

"Link!" A voice drifted to me, entering my mind through the fog of sleep. "Link, wake up!"

"_How could the future of Hyrule depend on such a lazy boy?"_

With a start, I fell out of my bed and hit the floor with a loud thud. The haze left behind by the dreams cleared a bit, but my mind was still drifting aimlessly.

"Link!"

I snapped my head around sharply. That voice... Who was it?

"J- Just a moment!" I shouted, forcing my body to respond. I made my arms lift my body from the floor, made my legs support me, made them walk to the basin of water near my bed. I dunked my face in the cold water, holding my breath, in an attempt to banish the last of the fog that clouded my thoughts.

Dreams were the stuff I got drunk on, dreams of the past, dreams of futures that would never be. Just like any drunk, I would wake hungover from the weight of the memories and the pain. It had eased for a while, before the Twilight came. For a time, the dreams had grown few and far between, and sleep had been blissfully quiet. No longer.

But I hadn't had a nightmare like this in some time... Not since before the death of the Deku Tree.

What did it mean?

"Link! You have to come now!" Ah. Yes. Ilia, that's who it was. "I know it's your day off, but there's someone in town who wants to see you... A friend? I don't know. He's very odd..."

Skull kid? No, it couldn't be.

"Did he tell you his name?" I asked as I pulled on a new tunic. It was the kind I wore in Ordon, not my Hero's gear. The Kokiri tunic brought back too many memories, made the villagers see me as someone I didn't want to be. A hero. Their hero.

"Yeah," She yelled up to me as I started climbing down the ladder.

When she said the name, I slipped and fell. It couldn't be...

…

"...Shiek?" I asked, stepping into the round meeting room in the mayor's house. The familiar figure stood against the far wall, arms crossed, eye closed, head tilted down. I didn't know where the current princess had learned the name, didn't know why she'd chosen to appear to me like this, but it had to be important.

"No," Shiek looked up at me then, red eyed gaze piercing into my soul. "You misunderstand. There is no trickery here... I am not Zelda."

"How...?" I asked, wondering if he could read my thoughts.

"I can't," He said bluntly. I suspected he was smirking beneath his mask. "But I can_ guess_ as to what you are thinking. The mind is not so hard to figure out."

"Then explain yourself." I said. "What brings you here? Why do you want to speak to me, when we are strangers? How did you know where to find me?"

Shiek held up a hand. "I can only answer one question at a time, Hero." He shook his head. "It is trouble that brings me here, trouble that gravely concerns you. I did not know where to find you. I have been searching for some time, when time is precious little. You hid yourself well. I might ask you why." His eye flashed in curiosity.

"I... I never asked for this," I said. "I don't want to be a hero."

"But you are," He said, sighing. "It is not easy to go against fate. Impossible, in fact, for some."

"Like me."

"Like both of us," He said.

I sighed. "You said time is precious. I think I understand that better than anyone. Tell me what trouble brings you here."

"But you already know, do you not?" He asked, and I caught my breath. "Shadows long lost have awakened... And someone dear to you is gravely hurt. The Sage of the Forest is dying... Saria."

"Sa-ri..." I stammered, turning away so he wouldn't see the tears forming in my eyes as a montage of memories flooded my vision. The ocarina. The medallion, the forest. The song. Her smile. Dying. Gone. Gone forever.

Dead.

"Impossible," I said at last. "She... She is an immortal child. How could she be dying?" But part of me already knew the answer.

"Even immortals can be killed," He said. "And the poison killing her is strong. I don't know how she has fought it this long already. She needs your help. You, her hero."

Her hero.

I never asked for this. I never asked to be the Hero of Time or Twilight. But for her—for Saria—I would be a hero again.

Her hero.

Saria.

"When do we leave?" I asked.


	5. Chapter Four: Truth and Love

Chapter 4: Truth and Love

I headed back to my house after the talk with Shiek, threw on the old hero's clothes again, and strapped my sword to my back. It would've been better if I'd kept the master sword, I thought to myself momentarily, but I didn't really want it. Taking one last look around my house, I sighed and opened the door.

Shiek had been waiting quietly outside. Ilia was there, too, to see me off. I had no idea how to tell her the truth... I cared for her, too, on some level. I really did. But to call her my love? No. Impossible.

We could've been happy together. I knew that much. If I had never known Saria. If I could've banished every waking memory of the past I could never return to again. If I could've lived here quietly for the rest of my days, never returning to the path of the hero. But alas, it wasn't so.

"Well," I said, simply.

"Well," Ilia repeated. "Is that all? Aren't you even going to try to explain yourself? You're barely back from one dangerous journey... And now you're going away again. I don't understand."

"Ilia..." I sighed. "I have to go. Someone... Someone important to me is in danger. An old friend."

"An old friend," She said. "In other words, someone you haven't even mentioned in all the years you've been in Ordon. How can he be that important?"

I swallowed. "Ilia..."

"Not he," Shiek stated. "She."

The look on Ilia's face was... depressing. She looked crushed.

"Oh," She said. "Is that right?"

"Yes," I said. "But... It's not like you think, Ilia."

"So you don't love her?"

I hesitated. "...I do," I said. "But not... not like you think. Not exactly." How could I even hope to explain to Ilia the pains of my heart? I loved Saria. Truly, I did. But as she was... As a Kokiri, I was doomed to forever dream of how wonderful it could be if she and I were the same. If she could grow up. Because as a child, she was forever out of my reach.

"Oh, I get it," Ilia said. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. I always knew there was something you were holding back... Now I know."

She turned away from me. I wished I could do something, say something that would make her feel better, something that could make things right. But there was nothing.

"...Goodbye," She said, quietly, before walking away.

I felt terrible for her. "I hope she'll get over it," I told Shiek, finally. "I didn't want to hurt her."

"You know how cruel love can be," Shiek said, glancing down towards the quiet little village. For a moment, I thought I saw a hint of longing in his eye, but then it was gone. "Perhaps it's better this way."

"Yeah," I sighed. "Come on, we don't have time to waste."

As we made our way deep into the Faron Woods, we didn't speak. I had so many questions for him, but I had no idea where to start, what to expect.

"If something's bothering you, just say so," Shiek muttered. "I know you're curious. Who wouldn't be? I've every right to keep my secrets to myself, you know. Though, I suppose I could tell you a little."

"I'd appreciate that," I agreed.

"Alright," Shiek closed his eye for a moment. "Well... First of all, I'm from the same time as you are. Impa, Shiekah and Sage of Shadows, is my mother."

"Your mother?" I asked, shocked.

Shiek nodded. "I grew up, a shadow of shadows, in Hyrule Castle, with the princess Zelda. My birth, my very existence was kept secret. Only those who dwelt in the Castle knew of my presence. When Ganondorf's arrival drew near, mother sent me away for my own safety. She allowed Zelda to take on my persona, as she knew me like no one else possibly could. We were so close, we could've been twins. My mother was her nurse, after all. How could we not be close?"

"But... Where did you go, during the years of darkness?"

"The Sacred Realm," Shiek said. "I became the Oracle of the Sages after Ganon's defeat. That is how I am still alive. Time passes strangely there... It exists, after all, apart from the stream of time."

"I see..." I said. "So, then, the way to get there is through time itself?"

"Precisely."

"So..." I frowned. "How do we do that?"

"You know the way, I believe," Shiek said, chuckling. "Through the Clocktower in Termina, on the night of the Festival."

"Right... But I thought Termina exists on a different plane."

"There's still a gate to Termina in the forest," Shiek noted. "And I believe you know where it is."

"Yeah..." I said. "I think I do..."

The forest, these days, was forever strange to me, yet somehow I managed to find my way. It looked rather like a dark cave, the way to Termina that I had fallen through so long ago in my frenzy to retrieve Epona and the Ocarina from Skull Kid. Alas, I left the Ocarina behind in the forest after my return, even as I had returned the Master Sword to the Sacred Grove when the Twilight incident was resolved. For the Hero, there would be no more battles waged 'cross time. Or so I had thought.

"Shiek..." I started, then hesitated.

"What is it, Hero?"

I sighed, gazing up at the sky that peeked out from behind the beautiful leaves of the forest. "What exactly awaits us on this journey? You said "shadows long lost have awakened." What do you mean? What is happening? What is it I have to do?"

"You will have to search your heart for the answers," Shiek said, quietly. "And in the process, may find yourself broken. It will be a very difficult journey, Link. And... You very well could die. Darkness could overtake all the land. Forever, this time, not just for seven years. Do you know why, Link?"

Something in his gaze told me he knew. I swallowed, suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of dread. "Why?"

"Because the Hero is always born to the same line. And you, Hero, are the last of that line. Until the day you have a child of your own, if you die, you doom all the world with you. There would be no one to save the world in the future if you die before having a child."

I looked at him, the truth of his words dawning on me for the first time. "But..." I stammered, blushing furiously.

Shiek sighed. "I was not implying that you should worry about that now. Gods, Link. It's just something to keep in mind."

I thought of Ilia again then, and I felt my shoulders hunch in sorrow for her. Why did fate doom her to love a man who could never truly love her in return? Why had fate doomed me to love someone who I could never have, even if she felt love for me in return? It was true, neither of us had ever said anything to each other that would settle that doubt, had we?

"_Link and Saria will always be friends, won't we?"_

Yeah. Always be friends. I felt tears coming to my eyes, thinking of her. Of how much I loved her, of how much I longed even to see her once more, of how badly I wanted to save her, to free her of her pain. This time, I would tell her. No matter what happened.

Because we would always be friends, no matter what. Always.

"Link?" Shiek asked, concerned, when a tear actually found its way down my cheek. More followed it, they just couldn't be stopped anymore.

"It's nothing." I said, choked up. It would be impossible for me to explain. Even I didn't fully understand. I wiped away my tears and turned to the dark doorway to my future... and to my past.

I felt a reassuring hand on my shoulder, gentle but firm. I turned to see Shiek's gaze filled not with pity, but understanding. I smiled ever so slightly, realizing suddenly that I didn't _have_ to explain how I felt to Shiek. Somehow, he already knew.

"Come on." I said, for the time being, letting my feelings go.

And with that, the two of us stepped through the gate, and into darkness.


	6. Chapter Five: Shard of Twilight

Chapter Five: Shard of Twilight

It was still just as frightening to fall through the gate now as it had been the last time... What, nine years ago? Something like that. My time has never been right since drawing the Master Sword for the first time. Maybe it was messed up even before then, having lived somewhere where time was meaningless, surrounded by a forest full of immortal children. I wondered if Shiek was the same way, having lived apart from time in the Sacred Realm for so long.

I guess it really didn't matter. I was just happy when the fall was over, and we were in Termina.

"They really need to work on their entrance," Shiek said. "No wonder they get so few visitors..."

I guess I must've been staring at him in shock, because he gave me a cold glare. "What, Hero? Can I not have a sense of humor?"

"It just caught me off guard," I muttered.

"You must never be caught off guard," Shiek chided.

Great. This trip was really going to be fun.

"Let's just get going," I said, walking down the path. I remembered vaguely that it would eventually lead to the Clock Tower... But I had no idea what to expect once we got there.

"Shiek, how does time pass here, exactly? Will it have been nine years here, too?"

"I have no idea," He admitted. "What, do you think I know everything?"

"No," I said, a smile tentatively crossing my lips.

"You probably know more about Termina than me."

I shrugged. "I was only here for three days... Give a little."

"More like a lot," He sighed, shaking his head. "This was a journey you undertook when you were still able to manipulate time for your sake."

"You don't know the half of it," I frowned..

"What do you mean?"

"I lose track of what I did here," I said. "Some days, I just sat around, doing next to nothing, feeling so overwhelmed I couldn't do anything no matter how much I wanted to. Some days, seeing the people here really got me depressed... And some days, I tried to help everyone, because I couldn't just let them hurt, even if I was hurting. I can't just sit by."

"The life of a Hero is not easy to live," Shiek said, quietly. "To give everything to others, to protect those he cares for, to never save anything for himself. The only true reward for a Hero is to never grow old."

"Yeah," I agreed. "They don't live that long."

There was a dark silence for a while, until Shiek finally spoke up again. "Do yourself a favor. Don't think like that. It doesn't suit you, Hero."

"How would you know?" I asked. "Besides... It's only the truth. You said so yourself. I could die on this journey."

"I know," Shiek said. "But hold on to hope, regardless."

"Did I ever say I didn't have hope?" I asked, but it occurred to me that I really didn't. Not much, anyway. I had to save Saria. I had to... But how? What then? What if I couldn't? What if I failed?

No. Shiek was right. I shouldn't think like that. I had to hold on to hope.

Strangely, just as I thought that, I saw a glimmer in the grass. It sparkled strangely, and I felt drawn to it. Almost in a trance, I walked towards it.

"Link?" Shiek's voice sounded confused. "What is it?"

All I could see, all I could think of was the glimmering light. Nothing else mattered. Maybe I should have realized something was wrong. Maybe I should have been scared... But I wasn't.

I reached down and picked it up with my right hand. It was a fragment of glass, shining with some ethereal light.

"Look, Shiek. It's a piece of..." Then it hit me. What it really was. Why I was drawn to it. "...the Mirror..." My eyes grew wide as I remembered.

"Link?" Shiek asked. "What are you talking about?" He was behind me, now, looking at the shard in my hand. "What mirror?"

"The Mirror of Twilight..." I said, a rush of sorrow filling me. Twilight. Midna. Navi... Saria. Everyone I'd ever been parted from... There were too few hellos and too many goodbyes in my life. I clenched my hand tightly around the shard, possessively.

Suddenly I felt a sharp pain. Instinctively, I dropped the fragment, but it was too late. A small stream of blood welled up along my palm. A few drops fell to the ground, landing by the shard. I couldn't do anything but stare. My entire hand was burning, it felt strange. Like a fire was spreading though my veins from the wound.

I felt dizzy, too, all of a sudden. "Shiek...?" I mumbled, my tongue barely wanting to move. Something was wrong. This shouldn't be happening.

"The Mirror... of Twilight...?" Shiek said, as though he were searching for some clue. His voice sounded very far away. "No. It couldn't be..."

From a great distance, I felt myself collapse, my face hitting the ground with a soft thud.

Then, everything went black.


	7. Chapter Six: Behind the Masks

Chapter Six: Behind the Masks

I sensed it, the moment he saw it. I felt its dark power. And yet, I did not understand it. Dark though the power was, there was something... different about it. It didn't feel _evil_, exactly.

I didn't think to stop him from picking it up. I was curious about it, too, the shard of glass. It was only when he said it was part of the Mirror of Twilight that it occurred to me what kind of power it might have over him. I only knew the events of his latest journey in fragments, what I could gain from the spirits. The look in his eyes only confirmed my suspicions that there was still a bond between him and the other side.

That was when the fool cut himself on it by accident. I smelled the blood before I saw it. By then it was far too late. It was already affecting him.

"The Mirror... of Twilight..." I mused, searching for the connection I felt just beyond my reach. Then it came to me. "No... It couldn't be."

The Hero chose that moment to pass out. I felt a wave of dread when that happened, it brought back vividly the memory of what I'd caught sight of in that forest glade. It was the same thing that happened when wounded by a weapon wielded by one of the dark beings we were up against... The same thing that had happened to Saria.

If that were true, though, that would mean the same dark power that was slowly killing her now ran in his veins, or at least something like it. "Goddesses, no," I breathed. "We can't afford to lose him. Not yet, certainly."

I bent over him, bandaging the wound as well as possible in my haste. I tried to lift him, but it was difficult. He was dead weight, not capable of helping me at all. If he had been a bigger man, it would have been impossible. I wasn't that strong myself. I knew my limits.

I managed to half-drag, half-carry him to the Clock Tower, anyway. Unfortunately, that was the extent of my knowledge of Termina. I knew of the Clock Tower and the town around it, and the Festival. I would have to get help from someone who knew better than I the ways of this place, with Link out.

I left him there, heading out into the city by myself. It was rather busy, there were lots of people. On one hand that made me uncomfortable, but on the other... The chaos only helped me blend in.

A Zora band had attracted a large crowd, but they seemed to be finished with their performance. There were several young Zoras cheering from the sidelines. One member who was signing autographs grinned at them and waved. Then he spotted me and his expression changed. It was odd, like he knew me, but didn't at the same time. Like he'd been caught by surprise as much as I had.

He walked over to me. "Hey, dude. You want an autograph too?" He pulled up his pen and paper and scribbled his name. Mikau.

He shot me a quick glance as he handed me the paper. "You know a dude named Link?" It wasn't a question, not really. He knew the answer. "I'd like you to thank him for me. I... Well, I owe him. I wouldn't be here now without him."

I didn't know how he knew I knew Link, but for the moment that didn't matter. "Yes, I know him... How would you like to repay the favor?"

"Huh?" Mikau asked.

"He needs help, now," I told him. "His life is in danger."

"No way," Mikau said, his face darkening. "Of course I'll help the dude!" He turned to the rest of the band, to the Zora woman speaking with the children. "Lulu, babe, could you cover for me? I got something I need to do."

"Mikau..." She looked annoyed.

"I promise I won't be too long," Mikau said, smiling at her. Then he turned away and joined me as I led him back to the Clock Tower.

"You must be wondering how I know of you, dude." Mikau said. "Truth is, a while back I, uh... Well, I _died_ trying to help Lulu save our eggs... And he turned me into a mask so we could help each other. What he didn't know is that once he defeated Majora's Mask, the masks he'd gotten in that way were restored to their original form. That is, me and Darmani, the Goron dude. We both remember everything, though, and then some. After all, for a while we _were_ him, you know?"

I nodded, opening the door to the tower. It made sense, in a way, I guessed. Being a keeper of the house of the dead, I knew there were ways of cheating death, if only a few. Using time-travel was one of them. Merging one's life force with another's, if possible. Having a very strong will to live could hold death at bay, too. All of these required great power, though, great strength—beyond that which ordinary people could normally obtain.

Mikau saw Link, then, and his eyes widened. "Dude, what happened?" He crouched down over the Hero.

"It's complicated," I said. "Can you help me get him somewhere safe? His wound needs treated... I don't know how bad it is yet."

"I think I know just the place," He said. "The trick will be getting there without attracting attention."

"Leave that to me," I said, drawing on the powers I had to weave a spell of stealth about the tree of us. "That should do it."

"All right," Mikau said. It was much easier to carry Link now that there were two of us. Mikau led the way to the quiet pool in the south of the city. "The dude came here often when he was here," Mikau said, quietly. "This was one of the events he couldn't stop trying to get right. It hurt him, it really did. Made him remember..." Mikau shook his head. "Man, even after all this time, even not being part of him anymore, it still makes me sad. Poor guy."

He gently set Link down outside the door on the far side of the pool and proceeded to knock. After a short while, and no response, Mikau just opened it and went in. "Hope Kafei won't mind... He's probably pretty busy right now, though. I'll go get him as soon as I can."

"All right," I said.

"You good?" Mikau asked once Link was in the bed upstairs.

"Yeah... Just do what you have to. Get Kafei... And anyone else you think might know any kind of lore... We're on a quest, you see, a quest..."

"To save the world," Mikau finished, smiling. "Figures. Kafei's definitely the guy you want, then." He started down the stairs, then turned back to me. "Hey, dude, good luck. Tell him I said so if I don't get the chance."

"Okay," I told him.

"And..." Mikau added, "Tell him... Thanks."

I nodded, and Mikau left, closing the door quietly. With that taken care of, I turned my attention to Link. I undid the bandages I'd hastily tied earlier, realizing with dread that his skin was feverish. Not a good sign.

I did everything I knew how, using all my medical knowledge and what little healing power I had. I prayed it was enough.

After that, all I could do was wait.


	8. Chapter Seven: Link's Awakening

Chapter Seven: Link's Awakening

The first things I was aware when I started to awaken were the strange feelings coming from my hands—my right palm burned with liquid fire that traced it's way all the way up my arm. There was a similar feeling coming from my left hand, starting instead on its back and tingling in a rather prickly way up that arm.

My head hurt, too. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I ached all over. I tried to move my left hand, to touch my temple, but it wouldn't respond beyond a slight movement that shot pain through me once again. I still felt dizzy and faint.

I tried to open my eyes after that, but it was too bright. I groaned as I closed them again. It was then that I... felt a presence near me.

"I think he's finally coming to..."

"Hero, can you hear us?"

I bit my lip, swallowing, and hoped my mouth would work better than my hands. "...Too bright," I mumbled.

"Shiek?"

"Turn down the lamp." There was a pause, then.

"All right."

I opened my eyes again. This time the lighting was much more bearable, that was for sure... Also for sure, the person sitting next to the bed I was in seemed very familiar, as did the place...

It all took a little while to sink in. Shiek stood by the stairs, distant as ever save the worried look in his eye. The other man's gaze was much the same... Right down to the bright red color of his eyes. That, paired with his purple hair finally registered, even if he was much older than in my memories.

"Kafei..." I said, smiling weakly. "You look... better."

"Wish I could say the same of you," Kafei said.

"How do you feel, Link?" Shiek asked, quietly.

"Kind of funny..." I said, sitting up slowly. The rush of blood left stars swimming before my eyes again. "My hands..." I looked down at them. The right one was tightly bandaged, and there was a thin red stain along the palm. My left hand looked fine... except for the fact that the Triforce of Courage was glowing faintly. Odd.

"What... happened?" I asked.

"You were—how to put it?—drawn to the Mirror, Hero, because it had held you in its power before, hadn't it? I've heard of the feat accomplished by you, fighting as a blue-eyed beast to save the realm of Twilight and Hyrule alike, and to protect the harmony between Light and Twilight."

I clenched my hands in the sheets. "Only to save my friends."

"That is beside the point," Shiek said, waving his arm dismissively. "It held power over you. It wanted to be found... It wanted to poison your heart and turn you into a monster."

I blinked in shock as what Shiek said sunk in. I opened my right hand and turned it towards me, thinking of the ordeals I'd gone through trying to get the pieces of the Mirror in the first place... Even a kind hearted person like Yeta could become a terrible foe when tainted by such dark power.

Staring at my hand, that wasn't the only thought that came to me. My hand, bandaged, a thin red stain along the palm. So bright, so red... So wrong.

Saria.

"Shiek..." I said, looking at him. "Please, tell me. What... What happened to Saria?"

Shiek's face darkened, if that were even possible. I could smell the unease in him. Weird. "Now is not the time for that story yet, Hero," he said. "But... You will learn it soon enough." He walked over to the little window Kafei had used to spy on the Curiosity Shop before.

"Saria..." Kafei said. "Who's that?"

"The green gal Link's in love with," I remembered that voice well. Sure enough, Mikau came up the stairs after closing the front door behind him. "By the way, dude, I'm glad to see you looking better."

"You're alive?" I was completely shocked.

"Yep, Darmani, too," He grinned. "He couldn't make it, I'm afraid, but the Goron dude's thinking the same thing I'm saying—thanks a lot, man. We owe you big time. Lulu and the kids think so, too."

"The... kids?" I asked. Mikau only smiled back at me. He knew I knew what he was talking about.

"Same goes for everyone else you helped out nine years ago—a lot of lives were improved, that's for sure," Kafei smiled. "Mine included. You have to stop by my place before you go anywhere."

"Most definitely," Shiek said, looking at him. "Kafei, you still have some information I need."

"And I'll give it to you," Kafei said, standing. "When Link's well enough to hear it, too. Now, if you'll excuse me... I'm needed at the inn."

Mikau let him pass, then turned to follow him, looking back at me one last time. "Take care, dude. Tell Saria I said hi if... When you guys see each other again. Hope things work out for you guys."

"Yeah," I said. "See you later."

I frowned, looking down. Those words would forever make me think of Midna, now. But Mikau didn't see the look on my face—he was already gone.

"Shiek... What's going to happen to me?" I was looking at my hand again, thinking.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I was scared at first that you might die... Or become a monster. That still could happen, but I'm going to bet against it."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He pointed to my left hand. "The Triforce. Even now, its pure power is fighting the darkness within you. It protects you, I'm certain of it. And I'm certain it would protect you from other dark powers as well..."

"Like the one's we're fighting," I realized. "Like the ones killing Saria."

"Exactly," Sheik said. "They cannot poison you. At least, not to the point of death—not by merely wounding you. It will take a lot more than that... But we still have to be careful. You're not out of the woods yet."

I had to smile at that, to his confusion. "No. I'm not. I hope I never will be. My heart will always dwell there, in those lost woods, even if I stray far from them."

Shiek shook his head. "That's not what I meant... Though I'm sure Saria would smile if she heard you say that."

"That's what I'm hoping for," I muttered. "To see her smile. To see her... well."

"_You_ must get well first, Hero," Shiek said, turning away. "Only then should you worry about others."

I lay back down for a moment, smiling faintly. Should, he said. He knew as well as I did that I wouldn't put myself first. I never had. I _couldn't._

"I'll be up later," I told him. "See you then."

I knew he was shaking his head again as he went down the stairs. My eyes closed, and as I drifted off I heard the sound of a distant door click.

Soon, Saria, I thought.

Perhaps it was only a dream, but I thought I heard a faint, melodious echo...

"See you then."


	9. Chapter Eight: Past and Present

Chapter Eight: Past and Present

The next time I woke up, I felt much better—though still strange. I got ready and went outside, dazed by how familiar this place still was even after so much time. I had spent far too much time here in the past.

It didn't take me long to find my way to the Stock Pot Inn, and despite everything that was going on a smile crossed my face. My memories of my stay in Termina were a mess, full of pain and hopelessness—yet, the Stock Pot Inn had always been a warm and welcome place for me. A place for rest, even when surrounded on all sides by darkness.

If anything, it was even more lively now, nine years later. I saw Anju at the counter as soon as I walked in, and watched her face as recognition instantly spread across her features.

"Link!" She waved. "Kafei said we should expect you! It's been so long. Too long, really."

Quieter, she added, "We owe you so much."

I smiled at her. "No, it was nothing. Really. Seeing the two of you happy was reward enough for me."

Anju shook her head a little, embracing me. "You say that, but is it really true? There's a sadness about you," she said, pulling back to look into my eyes. Whatever it was she saw there caused her own expression to darken and she pulled away.

"You were always a strange boy, even then, so wise for one so young... You still have the same haunted look in your eyes."

Haunted. Yeah, I guess that's the word for it.

"Kafei's waiting for you," Anju said, finally. "He's been speaking with your friend."

She didn't even have to tell me where they would be. I knew—and sure enough, I found them in the room where Anju's grandmother had once sat, reading her book on ancient stories...

The moment I walked in the door they both went silent and looked at me. Kafei smiled a moment later. "Good to see you up, Link. Have a seat—our discussion is bound to be a long one, I'm afraid."

I sat down as he suggested, waiting for the answers I hoped I would get.

Shiek was the one to break the silence. "You asked me what happened to Saria," he said, looking me right in the eye. His gaze was as piercing as those of the Gossip Stones, and I felt a chill go down my spine.

"Yes," I said. "I want to know the whole story."

Shiek closed his eye, sighing a little. "Very well, Hero. I shall tell you that story. But in order for you to fully understand, I must begin with a story from long ago, in a time so distant it is now all but lost to the legends..."

…

_In the days where this tale begins, the land now called Hyrule was very different. Wilder. Less hospitable. The children of the gods lived elsewhere, having separated themselves from the world claimed by monsters and beasts..._

_In this time, a demon appeared._

_The chosen Hero fought this demon desperately, chasing him across the lands that would become Hyrule in order to save his beloved. At long last, this Hero succeeded, and the Demon Lord was thwarted, never to be seen or heard of again._

_And so the ages passed. Hyrule was born and came to prosper. The tales of the battle against the demon who had once struck fear into the hearts of the people ceased to frighten them any longer, and thus the legends were forgotten... The people knew peace._

_Whenever the lands were threatened, one of the Hero's line would always arise to face the dangers. The people never doubted this. It was always so; they had no fear that time would prove them wrong._

_But it was wrong of them to forget the Demon Lord from that bygone age. Though he had been defeated, he lived on—and with him lived his hatred for the Hero who had stood in his way, though that Hero was long dead..._

_Long after the demon had forgotten his own name, he remembered the Hero._

_And though he was too late to seek vengeance against the one he'd known, his hatred spanned the generations... The ultimate revenge, after all, would be to end the line chosen by the gods permanently._

_Then, the Hero would never again rise..._

_...And the Demon Lord's reign would last forever._

…

My eyes never once left Shiek's face until he stopped speaking. It took some time for the story to sink in.

And when it did, I could not stop myself from seeing the scene from my recent nightmare play out in my mind's eye once more. A man clad in green. The Sacred Forest Meadow. Saria—the dagger, wounding her hand, spilling her blood, killing her from the inside out...

"This demon... What does he look like?" I asked.

Shiek looked away from me, gazing intently at the fire where it blazed in the fireplace. "He bears no single form—his true form was lost to him when he was defeated. In the ages since then, he spent much time as a shadow—no more. But his hatred has grown so strong that he is able to create a solid form for himself if he so chooses. He..." Shiek paused, meeting my gaze before going on. "The form he takes on most easily is the shadow of the form that is burned into his memory. The appearance of the Hero."

The shadow of the Hero.

I felt the blood run from my face as another memory surfaced. The strange room in the Water Temple, where I'd met and fought a shadow that looked like me. He hadn't spoken to me, had hardly been solid enough to face me, but he'd still been a formidable foe. The hatred that had radiated from him...

It couldn't be.

But just by the look on Shiek's face, I could tell I'd come to the right conclusion. The shadow I'd faced all those years ago... He was my most mortal foe. His hatred for me had only grown stronger with time, until now.

Now, he sought to end not just me, but all Heroes destined to be born after me. The Hero always came from the same bloodline, chosen by the gods.

Shiek's story explained much... But it still didn't explain everything.

"Why her?" I asked, trying to remain calm. "Why Saria?"

Shiek and Kafei both frowned as they first shared a glance and then turned to me. It was Kafei who spoke this time. "Because he knows how you feel about her. He's exploiting that—he knows you'd do anything to save her. To protect her from him."

"In other words, he probably has something planned," Shiek said. "A trap."

I gripped the arm of the chair so tightly that my knuckles turned white. "I don't care if he has a trap set for me," I said. "I won't let Saria suffer more than she has to. I will save her. Even if it means walking into a trap!"

_Link and Saria will always be friends, won't we?_

I cannot control the way my heart feels. She is the one I hold most dear—my beloved friend. If this shadow plans to use that against me, then let him!

"How do we reach her?" I asked Shiek and Kafei.

Shiek tilted his head. "I've told you already, Hero. The Gate to Time will open atop the Clocktower at midnight on the night of the Fesival—three nights from now."

"Three nights," I sighed. Hopefully no more than that this time. "Great. What are we supposed to do until then? Sit and wait?"

Kafei smiled. "You could do that, Link... Or you could visit some of the friends you made the last time you were here. I'm sure they'd be happy to see you."

Despite myself, I couldn't help but smile at that thought.

"Yes," I told him. "I'd like that very much."

...

**Author: **I'm going to try to avoid long author's notes in this story, but I figure since it's been _more than a year_ now since this story was updated I'd better write something.

I've said it before that once I start something, I like to finish it. This story truly is one of my favorite fanfictions. I am somewhat sorry that I didn't update for so long and left everyone hanging, but I had reasons for doing so. (Original fiction becoming my true top priority, for one thing.)

I'm here to tell you that I'm a few chapters away from finishing another story that has been my fanfiction interest for a while, and I've been playing Skyward Sword (which I love)-and my interests have returned to this story once again.

I've gone back and fixed things that were bothering me about older chapters, so I'd highly suggest you re-read the whole thing if you're an old fan of this.

From this chapter on, the plot really starts to get thick.

Let the journey continue.

~Knight


	10. Chapter Nine: Life on the Ranch

Chapter Nine: Life on the Ranch

I spent the next three days visiting with people I'd helped during my earlier stay in Termina while Sheik and I waited for the night of the Festival when the Door to Time would open for us. It really did my heart good to see how even the smallest kindness I'd offered to some of them had changed their lives for the better. The people I'd gone out of my way to help were even more pleased to see me again.

It also gave me a little more time to rest and recover—I was still weak from the wound on my hand, my body was still fighting off the dark powers. I could only hope that I would be better by the time we had to leave.

The last day before the day of the Festival, Anju and Kafei wanted me to go to the one place I had avoided—Romani Ranch. I'd been happy to help Cremia and Romani during my previous stay, but I honestly didn't feel like seeing the two of them again now. They reminded me of Malon too much—and while I hadn't really loved Malon, she had been a dear friend to me in the past.

That past was forever forbidden to me now—Malon had probably died decades before I returned to Hyrule to begin my new life in Ordon. It was something I had tried not to think about too often, the fact that most of the people I'd known as a child were long gone.

"Is something wrong?" Kafei asked. "I thought you were friends with Romani—she's spoken about you quite a lot."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," Anju smiled. "She's very grateful for your help, grasshopper."

I couldn't stop a slight redness from creeping into my face. What is it with those girls and their nicknames for me? First "fairy boy" from Malon and then "grasshopper" from Romani... I felt an ache in my chest at the remembrance of Malon's nickname for me. She'd been entirely wrong about me, though it was hardly her fault. I wasn't really one of the fairy children.

Sheik came up behind me and clapped a hand on my shoulder. I turned to meet his gaze and he nodded. "It might do you good to speak with her, Link. Perhaps it will actually lessen your sadness..."

I turned away, and met the eyes of Anju and Kafei's seven year old son. He stood behind his mother, smiling at me even though I barely knew him at all, having met him only three days before when I first woke up from my feverish sleep.

"Romani misses you," he said. "Don't you miss Romani, too?"

I couldn't help but smile at him and nod. "Yes," I said, finally. "I... I guess I do." Romani was not Malon. I just had to remind myself of that—Romani was a good friend, too, and she was very much alive.

And she... missed me.

That still didn't make seeing her again for the first time in nine years any less of a jolt. The look that crossed her face—it was _just like_ Malon's had been when she finally recognized me as the "fairy boy" she'd met before after I saved her and Epona from Mr. Ingo. I was still shaking off the memory when she ran to me and threw her arms around me in a warm embrace.

I tried to return it, but she must've felt that my whole heart wasn't there because she pulled away with a confused look on her face. Then she broke into a grin. "You haven't changed a bit, have you? Come on, grasshopper... We've all got a lot to talk about, I'm sure."

And so, we all ate dinner together, shared stories, smiles, and laughter... And at dusk, when everyone else was turning in, I went outside to gaze up at the stars where—maybe, just maybe—my friends were waiting for me, too.

I wasn't expecting anyone to join me, but Romani did. I heard her walking up behind me long before she spoke—and, somehow, I knew it was her the moment I heard her footsteps.

"Thinking about something, grasshopper?" She asked, waiting patiently for me to respond.

"Yeah," I said, after a while. "...Some_one_, actually."

Romani sat down next to me on the grass and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Want to talk about them?"

I pulled at the grass with my fingers and nodded. Maybe Sheik was right—maybe talking to Romani would help me. "Well, see... it's a bit complicated."

Romani grinned at me. "I got plenty of time."

I smiled sadly at her. "Yeah, you think so... But before you know it, your time runs out."

Romani frowned. "Is that what happened to her?"

I blinked in surprise. "How'd you know—"

She smiled a little. "I could tell by the way you're acting. So, what happened to this girl of yours?"

I blushed and shook my head. "She wasn't my... Look, Romani. You probably know I'm the Hero of Time, right?"

"Yeah, that's how you saved Termina, right? By traveling through time. It's the only way you could've done everything people say you did—Kafei told me that before. His family knows all about the Hero and his powers."

"Okay, good. You understand that part. See, I was born in a land called Hyrule, where I saved the world in the same way I saved Termina—by traveling through time. The only difference was that in Hyrule I would skip over seven years to fight evil in the future instead of reliving the same three days over and over..."

Romani's eyes lit up. "Sounds pretty nifty, Link. Much more fun than my life here on the ranch."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Yeah, you'd think that... But I think I'd _much_ prefer a life like yours. Everything you do has a purpose—you plant seeds in the spring and watch them grow until you harvest the crops in the fall. You raise horses and watch them grow up and have foals of their own... The life of a hero is uncertain at best. Sometimes it feels like I'm just running around in circles, doing no good..."

Romani shook her head. "But you _did _do good. If you hadn't come here, we'd all be dead. You _saved_ us—that's what a Hero's for! To always be there to help other people when they need help the most."

I frowned. "I wasn't always there when they needed me the most. During those seven years of darkness, a lot of people needed me and I wasn't there. Malon—she was a dear friend of mine, who actually looked _exactly_ like you—she went though a lot of trouble without me. Of course I went out of my way to help her when I had the chance—I did the same for a lot of my friends. But Malon wasn't "my girl." I liked her a lot, but I loved someone else a lot more."

Romani was quiet for a while, before she finally spoke again. "Something happened to your girl, too, though. Right?"

I bit my lip and nodded silently. Romani looked away. "Link, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to—"

"No," I said. "I think I need to tell someone about this."

She met my eyes silently and nodded. "Alright then."

"The girl I love... Her name's Saria. She's always been close to me—my dearest friend. I looked up to her when I was a kid, and I still look up to her now... But my love was doomed to be unrequited from the start."

"So this Saria doesn't love you back?"

"No, she _does_... I think. That's not the problem. She's... She's one of the fairy children of the forest, Romani. The Kokiri are immoral children—something I only found out in the future, after I'd already realized I loved her. Even if she loves me too, we can never be together. Not... not like I had hoped we could be."

"Your love must be true, then, if you still love her regardless of what she is," Romani sighed. "It's tragic that she's stuck like that and you can't be with her... Do you think it will ever be possible for you to love anyone else? Malon, maybe?"

I shook my head. "Maybe I could grow to love another in time... But it will never be Malon. She's long dead, Romani. The time I spent here in Termina... Every day I spent here, living outside of the natural flow of time... Time didn't stop passing in Hyrule. I returned home to find that more than a century had passed in my absence. All my friends—everyone I knew—they're dead or otherwise unreachable. A lot of them became Sages—Saria included—but the Sages live forever in the Sacred Realm. I have to live here, in the mortal world, until I die. That is my duty as the chosen Hero and the last of my line."

"...I'm sorry," Romani sighed. "I can't even really begin to imagine how hard that would be. But you said you thought you could love another—have you found anyone else you like in Hyrule's present time?"

"Yeah," I told her. "There's a girl about my age named Ilia. She's... beautiful, really. Kindhearted, too. A really good friend—And I know _she's_ in love with me. Or, at least, she was..."

Romani laughed a little and I looked at her in confusion. She silenced herself, but couldn't hold back a grin. "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself. No _wonder_ you're so stiff and silent, grasshopper! I get the feeling this is only a small _part_ of your complicated life. I sure hope you haven't led too many _other_ girls on over the years..."

I thought of Ruto, Zelda, and Midna all in quick succession. My face probably turned completely red as I realized just how much of a jerk I probably seemed to most of them. It's not like it was my fault I had such a soft spot for people in need... or that girls seemed to need my help more often than men and usually became at least somewhat besotted with me after I saved them.

I sighed, shaking my head. "You're right, Romani. I really, _really_ should've told Ilia about Saria a long time ago. But... I didn't want to think about her. I wanted to move on. And it worked for a while... But something _always_ happens!" I tried to keep the anger and pain out of my voice, but I'm sure it came through a bit. I stared at my bandaged hand and swallowed hard as I tried—unsuccessfully—to hold back the tears that flooded my vision.

Romani put a hand on my back lightly. Her touch sent a wave of warmth all the way through me, and I suddenly realized how cold I'd been. My wounded palm was burning again... And the Triforce of Courage glowed on the back of my left hand. A sickening feeling found its way into the pit of my stomach—was I in danger, too? Sheik had warned me that the dark powers might still affect me...

I turned to face Romani, and saw that her face was filled with nothing but friendship and concern. "Link, are you okay?"

I put my hand over hers on my shoulder and curled my fingers around her palm. "I'm fine, Romani. I'm sorry I worried you. I think I'm ready to go back now."

She smiled and stood up, helping me to my feet as well. I let go of her hand and we walked back to the house in silence.

As I lay in bed that night, staring through the cracks in the window boards to the starlit sky above, a true smile crossed my face for the first time in a while.

Yes, something _always_ happens. But someone is _always_ there to help when help is needed the most.


End file.
